Let's Talk About Pokemon - Growlithe and Arcanine

058 - Growlithe

Despite the distance in the Pokedex, Growlithe and Arcanine are almost kind of posed as rival counterparts to Vulpix and Ninetales. Given, at least originally, they're version-exclusive Fire types from one another. Also kind of tying together, given they're both canids with origins in Asian mythology, but that's getting ahead of myself.

Growlithe here, on first brush, looks little more than a cartoon dog, simply orange to denote its Fire typing and with tiger stripes for a little more flare. But there is something a little monstrous and chimeric about Growlithe's mismatched front and back paws. The back paws look a little more typical for how a cartoon animal's paws are drawn, but its front legs are ended with almost stump-like nubs that have a pair of claws attached to them. Which is neat in its own right!

059 - Arcanine

Arcanine maybe doesn't change the entire vibe, other than being a lot less puppy about it. It ditches the odd front paws, and mainly gets bigger as its main "gimmick". And by bigger I mean 6'03" big. Less of a monster dog and more of a monster dog. It also picks up more wild fur, but other than that, there's not a ton more to talk about with Arcanine itself.

The other thing about Arcanine is that it seems to be based on Shisa statues, figures that flank the entrance of important Chinese sites like shrines as sort of guardian spirits, the statue itself resembling a cross between a lion and a dog. Along with matching up a bit in appearance, Arcanine is also stated to be a Pokemon native to China. At least, that is, back when Pokemon was still referring to real-world locations. And it is interesting that, because of those mythological angles, Arcanine is referred to as "The Legendary Pokemon", as much as it's not considered A Legendary Pokemon. But it is enough to make it share mural space with the legendary birds, back in the day.

Personal Score: 7/10

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